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Location Date South Africa 1384732800 Malawi 1383436800 Kenya 1382742000 Uganda 
1382569200 Congo 1380754800 -
Location Date South To Fort Portal 1382569200 Kagadi 1382569200 Source Of The Nile 1382482800 Murchison Falls 1382482800 National Parks Vs Oil 1382396400 Hoima 1382396400 Murchison Nat. Park 1382396400 Nile Ferry 1382310000 Road Graders 1382223600 Equator 1378508400 Entebbe
1378422000
We got here and so did our luggage, so that was a great start. However, bad news awaited us. We planned to cross the DRC border near Bunia, but fighting has broken out there in the last 48 hours. The Front for Patriotic Resistance (FRPI) - which has been dormant for years, decided to pick this moment to kick off again, when units of the Congolese Army were withdrawn to fight against the M23 rebels further south. The FRPI are led by one Colonel Cobra Banaloki and the fighting has already displaced 90,000 people, so the UN have closed the road west of Bunia to Epulu - which we were intending to take. Also the road from Epulu and Kisangani has been washed away in several places ..........
Plan B is that we are going to fly back to Nairobi (which we just left this morning) on Sunday and then fly to Kinshasa later that evening. We will then have a day in Kinshasa before flying to Kisangani on Tuesday - so not one but two Congolese airports in one day, plus flying on a local carrier - definite blog potential!
The good news is that our boat has arrived at Kisangani and tomorrow we have a gentle sail on Lake Victoria.
- comments
Matt R Have the rebels occupied the brewery or something? That looks like a Coke bottle.
Ali Leaf Brittany Ferry to Cherbourg seems a it tame in comparison - and hoping there is peace on other side. Mind you down in the Pyrenees the cows are pretty wild, so we may have to adopt a defensive position. Enjoy Lake Victoria.
Howard Williams Better kicking off 48 hours ago than say tomorrow! It's all part of the adventure and DRC being predictably unpredictable!
Tish So word gets out you are arriving and fighting kicks off.... is there a link there I wonder???? Malesh as they say - glad you have a viable Plan B :o)
Barney Barney: I would have thought that the washed out road would have been just the kind of challenge to get things off to an exciting start. Local carrier definitely a cut above emergency taxi.
Hopkins United Very glad you are not involved in the fighting...have the advantage of texts and know Brian has now travelled from Enetebbe back to Nairobi with less decompensation than I had getting to Edinburgh Airport...